“Listen and then listen again”: prevention and promotion of independence for older adults

Author(s)

CARE INSPECTORATE WALES

Publisher(s):

Care Inspectorate Wales

Publication year:

2020

Explores the progress made by local authority social services and health boards in supporting older adults to be as independent as possible, in line with the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014. The research looked at the experiences of people aged over 65 who had received support from social care and health services, focusing on these key themes: people – are their voices heard and do they have control; partnerships, integration and co-production – who is working together and who is designing support together; prevention – how are services stopping people from reaching crisis or from needing care and support; and well-being - what matters to people. The key findings are: People (voice and control) – almost all of the time, people were treated with dignity and respect by care staff who made a positive difference in their lives but more work is needed to make sure that carers have their voices heard; Well-being – the importance of helping older people to maintain their well-being was increasingly recognised as a positive way to promote independence, and an aspect of work many care staff found rewarding; Partnerships and integration – many people benefitted from positive relationships they developed with care staff who treated them as equals but leaders and manager need to develop a culture of sustainability, through working together and designing services together; Prevention – the duty to support people before they reach crisis is not consistently carried out across Wales. (Edited publisher abstract)